We jump right in to the grief of losing Sybil. The family is decked out in their finest, saddest black duds, and the mood is solemn.

Most devastated is Sybil’s widower, Branson. The family rallies around him offering support and kindness. Except for Lord Grantham, who offers a one-way ticket back to his Catholic hell. He clearly still thinks of Branson as a lowly chauffer and doesn’t believe the baby should be raised by him. The baby is named Sybil, by the way. Wipes away tear.

Isobel invites the ladies to her house for lunch. Unfortunately Ethel’s prostitute training did not include lessons on how to make salmon mousse. Mrs. Patmore takes pity on her and helps her out, despite Carson having forbidden anyone from fraternizing with her. Carson lays into her pretty good. Mrs. Patmore stands her ground and Mrs. Hughes backs her up.

The lunch goes well and the ladies are having a lovely time. Until Lord Grantham storms in yelling about gossips and prostitutes. He demands they leave. Cora tells him to step off and Dow-Count ain’t leaving before dessert. This might be Robert’s lowest moment of dick-headedness.

While Mary and Edith search for the strength to go on, Cora chooses to channel her feelings into pure unadulterated rage. At her husband. Cora, I, too, blame Lord Grantham for Sybil’s death. He was so pushy about siding with his fancy doctor when everyone else questioned him. But Dow-Count doesn’t want their marriage to end. She convinces Dr. Clarkson to tell them Sybil would have died anyway.

In staff news, the love triangles continue. Mrs. Patmore makes the comment that the whole lot is in love with the wrong people. In case you forgot: Daisy → Lurch → Ivy → Jimmy ← Thomas

That Ivy’s a saucy one. She wears blush and dances the foxtrot. Lurch loves it and wants Daisy to teach him to dance. They stumble around the kitchen and I’m afraid they are going to break all the dishes. Jimmy steps in to show them how it’s done. Carson catches them dancing for five seconds and flips his shit. He berates Jimmy for his unprofessionalism and suggests that Lurch is first footman material. Poor Jimmy. Like he doesn’t have it rough enough with Thomas feeling him up constantly.

Daisy visits her father in law’s farm and he reveals his plans to leave it to her. He wants her to move there and learn how to run it and says she can sell her jams and stuff at the market. She’s considering it. She always envisioned a life in service. Dude. Daisy. This is your chance to not be a maid your whole life. Take it!

In everyone’s least favorite storyline, Bates is all humdrum and gray in prison…again.

When his cellmate/enemy ruins his chances at getting out, he gets all rough and scary.

It worked! Anna brings home the news that Bates will be released in a couple weeks. I can’t wait to see how he transitions back into the genteel life at Downton. Will he be too gruff and thuggish to valet? Will Anna still love him? We’ll find out next week.